This was such a sweet friends to lovers story! Davis was so gentle and patient with Kelsey, and their foundation was solid. I liked that even though Kelsey was still grieving the loss of her husband, it was never a major obstacle for her and Davis. He didn't push her, and he allowed her to come to him in her own time. In the meantime, he just supported her with her kids and her business.

The bar that Kelsey and her late husband owned almost felt like a character in itself. I could feel Kelsey's anxiety as she worked so hard to figure out her options so she didn't lose it, and I understood her pain in losing a huge connection to Ricky. It really tugged at the heartstrings! The only irritating thing was how stubborn Kelsey with. Girl, just accept the help!

Also, don't let the sweet and sentimental feel of the book fool you in the first half, because there is definitely some spice in there! It was a pleasant surprise, and I can't lie it helped me view Davis in a very different light.

Thank you to Net Galley and City Owl Press for the opportunity to read this ARC!

☽𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 ℝ𝔼𝕍𝕀𝔼𝕎☾

Thank you to Netgalley and City Owl Press for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Overall:
3/5 ✰
2.5/5 🌶

Kelsey is grieving the death of her husband. Notwithstanding, she does not have time to properly grieve as she must look after her three children, her alcoholic mother, and manage O'Henry's Bar and Grill. The last one, arguably, is the most distressing for her. She does not have enough money to keep the bar open; her husband's legacy to her children.
Davis Vance is exhausted. He wants to be freed from the cameras and admirers, missing the days when he could spend time with his twin brother without being recognised as the "Renovation Dudes."
But wait, there's another issue for these best friends: Davis is developing feelings for her. And Kelsey is beginning to look at Davis in a different light.


𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:

The writing was good, and I enjoyed the characters' inner monologues. We have full access to Kelsey and Davis' thoughts. I could sense Kelsey's anxiousness and stress over all she had to worry about.
Davis' thoughts were also well-explained, and being an introvert myself, I could relate to many of his fears.
I mostly appreciated the mental conflict in which he wants to be with her but feels ashamed for thinking that way.

Davis was a great male figure in several ways. He despises crows, but when Kelsey requests company, he doesn't care if he has to be surrounded by millions of people; he would do anything for her.
This, however, presented a dilemma for me. Perhaps because of his predisposition, I thought Kelsey was playing a tug-of-war game with Davis, being selfish in my opinion. I would have preferred it if Davis had taken better care of himself.

As previously stated, Kelsey has three children who made brief appearances. I would have liked it if those kids had come out more frequently, providing wonderful moments as it was evident from those three or four scenes that they loved Davis as much as he loved them.

Furthermore, the reason I didn't give it four stars is merely a "me" thing. I didn't have any thrilling feelings while reading.

Ok so this was a little heavier of a read than I was expecting for a holiday romance. Hits the romance genre trifecta of twins, orphans and parental issues (alcoholic mom). FMC is dealing with her kids and running a business after becoming widowed. Her BoyFF and her realize there are feelings. The writing was good and I did enjoy the story and the depth of the characters. I appreciated that while the characters from the first book (which I have not read) make appearances the author did not tell us what happened in their book so I won’t feel like it’s spoiled when I read it. I’m looking forward to more in this series like the MMC’s twin. More of a contemporary romance that just happens to take place in the fall with one night of a Halloween party not really a specific romance that is tied to the holiday like I originally thought it would be.

A sweet book about friends becoming lovers. Davis and Kelsey are great friends. He always tries to help her and gives his full attention to her. She is a single mother, widowed and has a lot on her plate between managing the bar and alcoholic mom. You can tell Davis always had a thing for her, i wished he got his chance back then, but he got it now when she needs him the most. I enjoyed reading this.

Tricked In October
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

My honest review of Tricked in October will be published on Tuesday, October 25th to my Instagram @chronicledbycait

Thank you NetGalley and City Owl Press for the eARC of Tricked in October by Starla DeKruyf in exchange for an honest review!

Kelsey O’Henry lost her husband unexpectedly last winter, leaving her a widow of three kids and owner of a struggling bar.

Throw in an alcoholic mother and it’s a wonder she can even get up in the morning.

David Vance and his brother are the costars of an HGTV show called “Renovation Dudes” and while the paycheck is nice, Davis is counting down the days for his contract to be done.

Davis and Kelsey have been best friends for years. But something about this year, this fall, feels different. And when Davis offers to help Kelsey and her money problems to avoid renewing his contract with HGTV Kelsey has to ask herself what their friendship really means to her.

Such a great fall read I flew through this one! I loved seeing the struggles Kelsey experienced as a widow and single mom. Her anxiety over losing the bar felt directly tied to her late husband too which definitely pulled at my heart strings!

I honestly fell in love with the characters and the setting and found the romance so sweet. The *only* thing I struggled with was how stubborn Kelsey was about accepting money (and one other thing but I can’t say because #nospoilers)

🌶️🌶️🌶️ - not super spicy but it had someee spice
🛑 - multiple open door scenes

3.5 stars

Overall Tricked in October was a pretty cute friends to lovers romance that was super sweet and fluffy, but also touched on some hard topics like death of a spouse and alcoholism. It's a super slow burn, which I'm not overly fond of, but like I said this is super cute.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from City Owl Press and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


A romantic read that captured my heart.

Synopsis:
After losing her husband last winter, the thought of hosting a Halloween couples costume party is the furthest thing from Kelsey O’Henry’s mind. Besides raising three young children, managing O’Henry’s Bar and Grill, and caring for her alcoholic mother, she has more important things to worry about. Like the stack of unpaid business loans that threaten the bar’s existence. As well as her newfound feelings she’s developed for her best guy friend.

Davis Vance is tired of being followed around by cameras. He misses the days before he and his twin brother became “Renovation Dudes”—hosts of an HGTV show. When Davis learns Kelsey could lose the bar at the end of the fall season, he sees it as an opportunity to not only help his friend, but as a way out of renewing his HGTV contract.

There’s just one problem—lately Davis’s feelings for Kelsey have been less friendly and more romantic. And on the night of the bar’s Halloween party, both Kelsey and Davis can no longer ignore their desires. Will their passionate evening be a one-night stand—only a flicker of heat during the crisp autumn, or will she risk her pride and accept his help?

Review:
This book, its characters, setting, and story were sweet and adorable with a touch of heartbreaking. Kelsey is an interesting character, but it really made me want to go back and read book one in this series. I don't feel like I missed anything just that it would've made it more fun to read about friends and this plot line was sp heavy that I think it's a good companion.

This was a lighthearted romance overall although it did mention some harder hitting issues such as death of a spouse and alcoholic parent.

I thought the relationship between Kelsey and Davis was cute.

The perfect autumn read. Actually the perfect read everytime you are in the need for a little fictional romance in your life. The main characters have great chemistry together. Although at some points they were maybe a little bit too stubborn (Kelsey) and insecure (Davis). Tricked in October is part of the Pineridges series, but can be read as a stand alone.

I got this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute!
It’s not very Halloweeny (just a couple scenes with costume party and trick or treating) so it can be read anytime.
I love me a good friends to lovers story, and I ate this one up. Davis is a loyal, helpful, genuinely caring friend to Kelsey for over ten years. Through thick and thin, he was a constant. During the years her other best friend was away from college he became her best guy friend. And now, after the loss of her husband and in her struggle as a single mom trying to keep a business afloat, his presence is her safe haven. Even as she is reluctant to ask for help, Davis is always there. So one night, in the midst of a water leak at her Bar, both of them soaking wet; they simultaneously feel new sparks between them. Neither of them let it show, because after all, they are just friends.
Aren’t they?

So. So good. Read it immediately!

Tricked in October by Staria DeKruyf was beautifully written. I had a chance to start it last night and ended up finishing it in just a few hours. I could not stop reading it. Kelsey had a lot going on in her life. Her husband had just passed almost a year ago. They owned a bar and grill together. So she was raising three kids, running a bar & grill, her mom was an alcoholic and had to take care of her more often than not. Davis just swooped in and became her knight in shining armor.

The friendship between Davis and Kelsey was beautiful. Every aspect of this book I was obsessed with. You get LOTS of tropes in this book. You get Best Friends-to-Lovers, Close Proximity, One Bed, Shy Guy and a strong willed women.

SPOILER: As much as I would have loved for Kelsey to keep the bar, It represented a huge life step for her. She owned it with her late husband, Rickey, and having to give up/let go of that part of her life was like she was closing that chapter and beginning a new one with her new job. I loved that a lot.

Would I recommend this book? Yes. Would I read it again? Probably.

Thanks to Netgalley, City Owl Press, and the author for the early arc! Go purchase this book on October 24th! You don’t want to miss out on a lovely fall romance book.

I generally love the friends to lovers trope but this one didn’t do it for me. It felt a bit repetitive and seemed like nothing much was going on for the first half of the book. I wish there was more tension or banter or pining. It was like a snap of the fingers and they were suddenly both seeing each other differently. Idk something just didn’t work for me.
Also, Davis and Garrett were basically just the property brothers from hgtv.
I did like how supportive davis was for Kelsey as she navigated keeping the bar, raising three kids and dealing with her mom. Overall, it was a quick, cute fall read.

I am a cover lover. I’ll admit to judging a book by it’s cover. There are so many book options out there so an appealing cover makes me much more likely to want to grab a book to read and this one did it for me.
This book is perfect for this time of year. It has such a Fallish/Halloweenish vibe all the way through it and it was great.
Tricked in October has a woman who lost her husband last winter. She has so much going on she’s tripping over her own feet trying to get it all done. She has three young children,an alcoholic mother who also runs a bakeshop that she wants her to help manage, a bar she’s about to lose because of back bills and more. O’Henry’s Bar and Grill was her late husband’s bar and though Kelsey O’Henry runs it because it’s been in her husband’s family a long time she feels she should pass it down to her children but it’s giving her more stress than she can handle.
Throw in her best guy friend Davis Vance, she seems to be falling for him. With her responsibilities she really doesn’t need this complication.
Davis and his twin brother are filming a HGTV show and are recognizable now. One twin enjoys the extra attention from women,one does not.
Davis has been friends with Kelsey for a long time and would love to move this relationship to a more personal level but will the timing be right or will the Halloween chill be in the air between them?
Loved the Fall vibes in this and will be looking forward to read more by this author.

Pub Date 25 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Tricked in October is a sweet best friends to lovers romance that is a perfect lighthearted read for the fall season. Kelsey lost her husband in a snowmobile accident one year ago and is struggling to pay the bills for their family owned bar and grill. She has a lot on her plate between the bar, her alcoholic mother, and being the primary caregiver for her three children. Her best friend, Davis, is an HGTV star with his twin brother. While helping Kelsey with a leak at the bar one night, Davis suddenly starts to feel a bit more than friendly towards her.

The romance between the two grows pretty quickly in this book as Davis continually supports Kelsey and attempts to help her save the bar. With so many heavy topics like death of a spouse and an alcoholic mother, I was surprised at what a light hearted read this actually was. The fall setting was described well and put me in the mood to go to a fall festival myself!

Thank you to NetGalley and City Owl Press for this great seasonal ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was such a lovely story with all the feelings of a slow burn love between friends. Kelsey and Davis have been best friends for years.

Kelsey is stubborn and strong, after losing her husband and now she's raising her three kids and running the bar, and helping her mother who is an alcoholic, she is getting overwhelmed. Davis is on a HGTV show with his twin brother Garrett, he hates the camera and lights but for his brother he'll do anything.

I loved Kelsey and Davis as friends and how it slowly became more. He was attentive and cared for her. Their relationship was cute. I enjoyed the switch between their POV, from Davis to Kelsey. It was a sweet October read that I couldn't put down until the very end.